If the Spurs have been stuck in mud during their recent outings, the Cavaliers have fallen off a cliff without injured point guard Kyrie Irving. Granted, it’s only a two-game sample size, including a contest against the stingy Washington Wizards. But the Cavs’ offensive rating has plunged to 96.3 points per 100 possessions in that span, which would be lowest in the NBA by almost three points over an entire season.

There wouldn’t appear to be much hope for improvement against the Spurs, who boast the league’s No. 3 defense even after giving up 107 points to Minnesota earlier in the week.

Still, the Cavaliers managed to give the Spurs all they could handle in the first meeting, succumbing only after Kawhi Leonard’s late 3-pointer. Irving might as well have been non-existent in that game, shooting 2 for 15 in one of the worst performances of his young career. But with the Spurs struggling in the absence of their own All-Star point guard, perhaps the Cavaliers can make another game of it.

* As frightening as the prospect of another significant injury for Irving might be, the Cavaliers can at least take heart in the play of rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters. He’s averaging a healthy 14.9 points per game, including at least 20 in his past three outings and six of the past eight.

* The Cavaliers have arguably the worst shooting defense in the NBA — 47.6 from the floor (30th) and 37.4 on 3-pointers (26th). They also give up nearly 24 foul shots per game while ranking 26th in defensive rebound percentage at 72.3. About the one thing they do is force turnovers, including eight steals per game.

* Former Texas standout Tristan Thompson continues to improve in his second season. The 6-foot-8 forward has improved in virtually every category, including scoring (11.4 ppg), rebounds (9.3 rpg) and field-goal shooting (49.4 percent). His streak of four consecutive double-doubles was broken in Friday’s loss at Dallas.

Note: Unless noted, all stats taken from NBA.com, Hoops Data or Basketball Reference